


queer

by messyfeathers, whitemackerel



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Canon LGBTQ Character, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I Don't Even Know, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-13 08:44:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3375122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/messyfeathers/pseuds/messyfeathers, https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitemackerel/pseuds/whitemackerel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Late at night, sobbing and scared, Carlos rings an lgbtqa+ hotline for help. A stranger with a beautiful voice picks up so Carlos listens. Twice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	queer

**Author's Note:**

> if you think that feeling threatened by your parents due to being gay could trigger you then please be careful  
> anyway  
> hope it's all good

Carlos slid down the side of the shower cubicle, his phone held steadfastly in his trembling hand. The air was freezing cold and the floor of the shower was slightly damp but he was too wrapped up in emotion to notice. The night curled around him as he stared at the screen of his phone. In the complete darkness it was blindingly bright. He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes. It was going to be okay. He was going to make everything okay. He was going to calm down, he was going to get help, he was going to be…saved. The dial tone rang through his head as he subconsciously lifted his mobile to his ear.

Ring.

He breathed in.

Ring.

He breathed out.

Ring.

He bit his lip.

Ring.

He waited.

Ring.

Ring.

Maybe it was too late at night? Maybe he had the wrong number? Maybe the world had given up on him already.

“Uhhh…?” Carlos jumped as his mind snapped from his thoughts to the unfamiliar voice on the other end of the line. It was a strange kind of voice. It seemed to waft through his body and slow his heart and make him feel at ease. But there was another expression that ran through it. It was the sound of someone who was scared. Someone who was filled with the excitement and curiosity of childhood but was hiding it out of necessity. But maybe it was just Carlos’ own fear and excitement that echoed through the dark bathroom.

“Who is this?”

“I- my name is Carlos.”

A full minute passed. Nobody spoke. The break in conversation allowed fear to creep back into Carlos’ confused teenage mind. What if his parents got up? What if they heard him? Saw him? Punished him. Tears fell reluctantly down his tanned cheeks, and he stared at the locked white door as though his eyes would prevent it from being opened until he was done.

“Are you okay, Carlos?” The other voice questioned slowly. Carlos must have made some sort of sobbing sound.

“I’m fine.” Carlos leaned back onto the cool tiles and ran his free hand through the tangles of his hair, sighing heavily. “No, um, no I’m not.”

“Are you in d-“

“I’m gay.”

Admitting it to himself, admitting it to someone else, it only seemed worse. Breathing in air seemed to suddenly be completely out of Carlos’ skill set. His eyes were wide open and he watched a spider creep across the showerhead, his mind ringing with ‘oh god’s and ‘please’s. As he hiccupped and shook and curled into the floor he tasted his tears running onto his lips. It was hopeless. He’d really done it this time. He was going to die without even being old enough to drink, at the hands of homophobic parents and his own fear and stupidity.

“Carlos? Carlos?” The voice was back, slowing his sobs. “Carlos, please don’t cry. I- okay. I’m a bit confused. I don’t know who you are and I don’t know why you’ve called me. I don’t know why you’re upset and I don’t know how to help you. But right now you seem to be in a worse place than I am so please, please, try to explain to me what you’re scared of and I’ll help you as best as I can. I- I’m a boy scout, you know? My name is Cecil.”

Slowly, Carlos started to regain his composure. He sat up timidly and wiped his face with the back of his hand. With a forceful breath he steeled his nerves and repeated himself. This man was here to help him after all. “I’m gay.”

A bird chirped in the distance and the moon shone a beam of beautiful light over Carlos’ young, expectant face.

“You like boys the most?” Cecil confirmed, a hint of knowing in his tone.

“I guess you could say it like that.” Carlos mumbled. “But my parents are really homophobic. A lot of people are. It’s just, I mean, everywhere I go it’s like I’m going to be found out or something. Everyone I know thinks it’s wrong to be gay, they think it’s an illness or a disease and I just don’t know what to do anymore. I- I just don’t know.”

“There’s nothing wrong with really liking boys…quite a bit.”

“I don’t think it’s wrong. I just feel like everyone’s watching me and that I’m going to get in trouble or fixed or…” Carlos trailed off, the feeling of a weight being lifted from his chest completely overwhelming him. He was so glad that he’d rung up this hotline. He was feeling better already. He felt like he had a friend for once.

Cecil started talking again and Carlos contentedly shut his eyes, letting the perfect sound roll over him in waves.

“There are more things to be scared of than who likes who - like spiderwolves and street cleaning day and mirrors.”

It was getting to 2am and Carlos’ mind was drifting sleepily as Cecil chittered on. The young science enthusiast caught only a few words; he listened to the other teenager as though music was spouting from his mouth.

“Of course it’s dangerous if people are scared of you. You don’t want to provoke them or the secret police might come for you. So, Carlos, when you move out…go find a pretty boy and get all your confidence up and kiss him right on the lips. Kiss him and love it and don’t feel ashamed at all.”

Carlos grinned and chuckled lightly, his eyes fluttering open. He thought for a second, he’d been wondering for a while. “Are you, um- I mean what’s your sexuality?” Cecil had spoken as though he completely understood Carlos’ predicament. Was it training or experience?

“I don’t understand. What’s…sexuality?” came Cecil’s hesitant reply.

For the first time all night Carlos felt as though he was fully in control. He was the one who was explaining, teaching, helping. The roles of the two had completely reversed over the course of the conversation. And now really, he felt completely okay. “Cecil, I can’t understand why you can’t understand. You work for a hotline that helps people who aren’t, you know, society’s perfect straight and cis.”

Something growled quietly on the other end of the line and the connection faltered for a few seconds, but when Cecil spoke again it was as if nothing at all had happened. “Well I actually don’t work for a hotline. I work…well I intern at the radio station actually. This is queer. I think you called me by accident.”

Carlos was dumbfounded. “Trust me,” he laughed, “it’s more queer than me.”

He was going to say something more but a loud roar rumbled through the line and he found himself concerned for Cecil’s safety. “Ce-“

And then the line went dead.

Carlos watched the sun rise through a tiny skylight on the ceiling and sighed. “Very queer.”

Cecil leaned back in his chair as the weather echoed tinnily around him. It probably sounded better on the radio than directly in the studio. He couldn’t stop thinking about that scientist who had come into town, he was absolutely perfect. His teeth were neat, his eyes were shiny, his hair was amazing and everything about him was just…perfect. All this time Cecil had just been thinking up ways to “accidentally” meet up with him. He just had to know more about Perfect Scientist Carlos and smell him and feel the way he held himself and hear his voice and listen to his laugh. He just-

Ring.

An unfamiliar number. He breathed in.

Ring.

Had he said something wrong? Was it the City Council? He breathed out.

Ring.

He bit his lip.

Ring.

Would it be dangerous? He waited.

Ring.

Ring.

He grabbed the phone like it was a piece of coal and winced as he pressed it to his face, right near his ear.

“I heard you on the radio.” The stranger laughed nervously. “You have a unique voice, Cecil.”

Time froze and Cecil’s mouth opened and closed uselessly, his tattoos flailing around in excitement.

“It’s you.” He breathed, his voice hitching with disbelief. “Queer Carlos.”

“The queerest.”

“I- did you? I mean, are you? Did your parents?”

“Oh man.” Carlos interrupted, his tone almost joking. “Trust me. Now that I’ve moved out I’m going to go find a pretty boy and kiss him right on the lips if I’m feeling confident. I will kiss him and I will love it and I will not feel ashamed at all.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to radoncany0n on tumblr for proofreading this for me. i'm floatingkitty on tumblr if you want any prompts filled. :3


End file.
